Semimetal

semimetal

Semimetal

a substance occupying an intermediate position between metals and semiconductors with regard to electrical properties. A characteristic feature of semimetals is a weak overlapping of the valence band and conduction band. This indicates that semimetals remain conductors of electric current down to a temperature of absolute zero and yet have a low (compared to metals) concentration of current carriers—approximately 1018-1020 cm-3. Semimetals include Bi, Sb, As, and graphite.

Current carriers in semimetals exhibit high mobility and low effective mass. These properties make semimetals the most suitable substances for use in observing size effects, semimetal-dielec-tric phase transitions in strong magnetic fields, and many other phenomena.

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.